antiterror13
Brigadier
I thought the engine was based on German MB871ka501 diesel tech
New Type98/99 MBT thread
- Thread starter Dongfeng
- Start date
I thought the engine was based on German MB871ka501 diesel tech
HO LEE FUK! That's a lot of elite tanks together. It seems like the 38th Group Army is the only one equipped with ZTZ-99A2. Just wondering if the 39th Army will be the next to receive them, cuz the 39th Army (which is also one of the elite group armies) still got two old batches of Type 59s that need to be replaced.Tanks, damned tanks and the Type 99.
Tanks, damned tanks and the Type 99.
While this is a nice picture there is only a grand total of 9 tanks there, let's not get too excited folks. I would reserve this level of excitement for when there are pictures of a ceremony retiring the last Type-anything-pre-96 (tanks, amphibious tanks, APCs...) from service.
Well, the 39th has become something of a joke on Chinese BBS lately, with the standard replies always being "Look at your ZTZ-59s - what will you guys do when you have to face both the K2 and M1A2SEP when Korea gets hot?".
So, yeah, if anyone ever had priority, it wasnt the 38th around Beijing, but actually the 39th in Shenyang. They should have been the one's getting the 112th Div treatment, with ZTZ-99A, AFT-10, PGZ-07, HQ-17, ZBD-04A etc.
Additionally, it would be good if they get an extra-large divisional attachment of Z-10/Z-19s.
Almost a full sqn.Tanks, damned tanks and the Type 99.
I think the 39th Army does have a regiment of WZ-10, but just not in large numbers. Also, only one armor division of 39th Army is equipped with ZTZ-99 tanks, and the rest still using either Type 59 or Type 59 II (the Tiananmen tanks). I am not quite sure whether recent corruption cases have drastically affected the replacement of older equipment (say money supposed to buy new tanks got syphoned off in large systematic ways). One thing is certain: when you see Chinese soldiers still driving 1950s era tanks and wearing no body armor (some troops don't even have kevlar helmets), there got to be some serious internal problems with whether money is spent on the right place. There are just inconsistencies with the amount of China's defense budgets each year and the output. With the opaque nature of the PLA, I wouldn't be surprised if the money supposed to purchase three divisions of ZTZ-99As only ended up purchasing one, with the rest ending up in the pockets of generals who are "protected" by their connections to the central leadership.
broadsword
Brigadier
That is purely wild speculation if you do not have reliable sources to back you up. Can you imagine the money for the purchase of two divisions of ZTZ-99As lining the pockets of generals?
Well...it is wild speculation. But if you have worked in China, you know how businesses are conducted there. Bribing and syphoning of resources happen all the time. It is just part of culture. Sorry for being off-topic.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
That's just masking what I suspect is ideologically driven BS with assumptions.
There was endemic graft and skimming, but it was only by tiny amounts in proportion to the value of the deals. Any more and you might as well hold up a neon light for the authorities.
In the past, small scale skimming was tolerated, maybe even encouraged since people who are also on the take are less likely to turn whistle blower, but there is always an unspoken rule about how much you can skim. That has deep rooted practical reasoning.
For one, if you take too much, that is likely to draw unwanted scrutiny and get everyone else in on the act in trouble. It is simply impossible for anyone to even dream of getting away with anything even an order of magnitude smaller than the scale of graft you are insinuating in modern China.
These days, with President Xi's anti graft measures in place, there has been a remarkable drop in even small scale skimming.
The reason the PLA is still using Type 59s is because the lion share of China's defense budget has gone to the Air Force, navy and 2nd artillery missile forces. Do you think all those new fighters, UCAVs, AWACS, FFGs, DDGs, LPDs, subs and missiles are all magicked out of thin air at zero cost?
Without air superiority, even Type 99s are just living targets for enemy planes and helicopters to kill at their leisure. With air superiority, even Type 59s auto win against M1 and K2 burning hulks. Shouldn't be hard to understand.